beautiful

adjective

beau·​ti·​ful ˈbyü-ti-fəl 

1

: having qualities of beauty : exciting aesthetic pleasure

2

: generally pleasing : excellent

beautifulness

ˈbyü-ti-fəl-nəs 

noun

Did you know?

Can beautiful be used to describe a man?

Our evidence shows that when beautiful is used to describe physical beauty, it is overwhelming used of women or a physical aspect of a woman (such as her hair or skin). This hasn't always been the case: when beautiful first came into English it was used as easily of men as it was of women. Nowadays, handsome is the adjective of appreciation most commonly used of men.

The plural noun phrase beautiful people doesn't refer to the overall looks of the people mentioned, but rather the elegance and sumptuousness of their lives.

Synonyms

• aesthetic
• esthetic
• aesthetical
• esthetical
• attractive
• beauteous
• bonny [chiefly British]
• bonnie
• comely
• cute
• drop-dead
• fair
• fetching
• good
• good-looking
• goodly
• gorgeous
• handsome
• knockout
• likely
• lovely
• lovesome
• pretty
• ravishing
• seemly
• sightly
• stunning
• taking
• well-favored

Choose the Right Synonym for beautiful

beautiful, lovely, handsome, pretty, comely, fair mean exciting sensuous or aesthetic pleasure.

beautiful applies to whatever excites the keenest of pleasure to the senses and stirs emotion through the senses.

beautiful mountain scenery

lovely is close to beautiful but applies to a narrower range of emotional excitation in suggesting the graceful, delicate, or exquisite.

a lovely melody

handsome suggests aesthetic pleasure due to proportion, symmetry, or elegance.

a handsome Georgian mansion

pretty often applies to superficial or insubstantial attractiveness.

a painter of conventionally pretty scenes

comely is like handsome in suggesting what is coolly approved rather than emotionally responded to.

the comely grace of a dancer

fair suggests beauty because of purity, flawlessness, or freshness.

fair of face

Examples of beautiful in a Sentence

Located on one of the most beautiful and untouched coastlines in America, this recreational area has much to offer. You can hike on rocky headlands that rise dramatically from the Pacific Ocean, ride horses or bikes along scenic trails, walk along the many beaches, kayak on pristine Tomales Bay, or spy the abundance of native flowers and wildlife, including elephant seals and tule elk. —Tim Fish, Wine Spectator, 15 Nov. 2008

In her biography of Monroe, Churchwell takes to task the relentless mythomania of her admirers and critics, who are equally invested in nurturing the legend of a hapless beautiful woman consumed by her desire for celebrity and love. —Lakshmi Chaudhry, Nation, 27 Aug.-3 Sept. 2007

In the hothouse of today's celebrity monoculture, the result has been the perfection of the kind of profile in which athletes and actors struggle to overcome … absence or presence in their lives of money, fame, sex and drugs. Especially so in the upscale slicks, where these stories of the rich and beautiful emerge so flat and lifeless that no one in them casts a shadow. —Jeff MacGregor, New York Times Book Review, 21 Aug. 2005

You have the most beautiful smile.

The film tells a beautiful story about two young lovers.

Our hotel room had a beautiful view of the ocean.

The sunsets here are absolutely beautiful.

What a beautiful day for a picnic!

This is a beautiful example of early American poetry.

Recent Examples on the Web

My first, and yes, highly important, finding was that the bag is indeed beautiful (its appearance alone makes the Amtrak Northeast Regional feel a bit more Orient Express). —Eric Twardzik, Robb Report, 11 Dec. 2024

Singing in Spanish, too, was really beautiful, because the words are so powerful. —Daniel D'addario, Variety, 11 Dec. 2024

Next week, Brad has dreams of creating airy, beautiful loaves of Panettone, the Italian sweet bread. —Bon Appétit, 11 Dec. 2024

Featuring 1,200 pieces, the finished product can be used as a beautiful holiday decoration. —The View, ABC News, 11 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English bewteful, beautefull, from beaute beauty + -ful, -full -ful entry 1

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing beautiful

• beautiful people

Kids Definition

beautiful

adjective

beau·​ti·​ful ˈbyüt-i-fəl 

1

: having the qualities of beauty

2

: very good : excellent

beautifully

-f(ə-)lē 

adverb

beautifulness

-fəl-nəs 

noun